Dad of Missing Texas Toddler Now in Question as Police Uncover New Details About Night She Disappeared

For most of us, it is difficult to wrap our minds around the thought of parents intentionally bringing harm to their child. It seems to go against our nature as mothers and fathers. This doesn't make it impossible though. In the case of a toddler who went missing in Texas earlier this month, signs may be pointing toward her father as a suspect.

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Three-year-old Sherin Mathews went missing from the backyard of her Richardson, Texas, home around 3 a.m. on Saturday, October 7. The little girl had been left outside by her father, Wesley Mathews, as punishment for not drinking her milk.

Mathews claims that he forced his daughter to stand outside by a tree, but when he returned to check on her 15 minutes later, she was missing. It wasn't until five hours later, around 8 a.m., that the father officially reported his daughter missing. Following Sherin's disappearance on Saturday, Wesley Mathews was arrested on charges of child abandonment and endangerment. He was released later that day after posting his $250,000 bond. The girl's mother was not arrested.

Over a week after she went missing, Sherin Mathews has yet to be found. Even more troubling are the newly discovered details surrounding her disappearance. According to a police affidavit, Wesley Mathews claims that right after he found his daughter gone he did a load of laundry.

On Thursday, October 12, local police reported that Wesley Mathews and his wife Sini had each hired lawyers. Sini Mathews -- who claims to have been sleeping at the time of her daughter's disappearance -- has said through her lawyer, Kent Starr, that she is "distraught."

In addition, both parents reportedly began refusing to cooperate with police and other officials on the case for unknown reasons.

Local detectives and FBI agents also conducted a more extensive search of the Mathews residence last Thursday. Later that evening, they announced that someone had left and returned to the family's home in their SUV between the hours of 4 and 5 a.m. on the morning of Sherin's disappearance.

On Friday, October 13, Richardson Police received a tip that pointed them toward a cemetery less than two miles from the Mathewses' home. While officials have not shared the source of their tip, they have confirmed that nothing was found in their search.

The details surrounding Sherin Mathews's disappearance have been murky from the start, but these recent developments have both police and those following the story incredibly suspicious and confused. While investigators attempt to locate Sherin and find the truth about her disappearance, the rest of us are left wanting answers as well.